"Of course he bailed on us again," Daniel snapped, stomping up the stairs. He'd seen this movie one too many times and wasn't sticking around to see how it ended this time.
"Daniel, he's just busy. It's work. He'll be back soon," Nicole called after him.
"That's always his M.O., Mom. I'm tired of hearing that line! I don't care if he comes back or not!"
"Daniel! Get back here now!" Veronica shouted.
But her words were met with the thud of Daniel's bedroom door slamming shut.
Gabriel stood in the hallway, quiet, thoughtful. His eyes wandered to the clock, then back to the front door. The house felt emptier than it had a moment ago. His mind quickly shifted to the lab.
"Mom," he asked cautiously, "does that mean I can go to Jai-Lee's for a bit?"
"No, it doesn't, Gabriel," Nicole said, her voice firm.
"It's just… I want to make sure we have everything ready for our group presentation. It'll be half an hour, tops. I promise."
Nicole turned to look at him, hesitant.
"It's super important, Mom. It's half our grade," he added, flashing puppy dog eyes.
She inhaled, then let out a deep breath, and finally gave a reluctant nod.
"Go on. Half an hour, Gabriel. We still have to be at your father's dinner—don't be late. Understood, young man?"
"Yes, Mom!" Gabriel replied, already dashing toward the garage.
As he pulled out his phone, he typed:
Green light.
Jai-Lee responded instantly:
Green light? Like… green green?
Yes. That green light. Meet at the lab ASAP.
On my way, she replied, excitement buzzing through the screen.
Gabriel grabbed his bike and hit the road, the cold wind pushing against his face as he pedaled hard through the night. His legs burned, but the adrenaline overpowered the ache.
When he arrived, Jai-Lee was already waiting by the lab's entrance, arms crossed.
"Took you long enough, Gabe."
"That's easy for you to say—you took an Uber," Gabriel said, catching his breath.
"Well, no one said you couldn't. You chose to bring that dusty old bike."
"Watch it. This dusty old bike's been in my family for two years. A trusted companion. Loyal. Reliable. It's gotten me and my brother wherever we needed to go."
"You share that rust bucket with your brother?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Why?"
"What happens when both of you need it?"
Gabriel scratched the back of his head. "…Huh. Never thought about that."
"Enough about your bike. Let's focus on why we're actually here," she said. "Did you bring your dad's spare key and card?"
"Of course," Gabriel replied, pulling both from his pocket. He slid the key into the lock, and with a soft click, the door opened.
****
In the back seat of a black SUV, Derrick sat cool and composed, the weight of a pistol resting casually against his thigh. He looked over at Robert, seated across from him.
"Robert, my dear old friend," Derrick said, voice smooth as silk. "Jenny passed on your message."
Robert didn't flinch.
"You don't scare me anymore, Derrick," he said. "You did, once. Real nice. But the fear you instilled in me? That's gone. So you can try and intimidate me all you want."
But beneath the surface, Robert was petrified. His fingers trembled ever so slightly in his lap. His eyes darted between Derrick's face and the weapon resting on his leg.
Derrick studied him for a moment.
Then, without warning, he struck. The butt of the pistol smashed into Robert's forehead. His world spun. Vision blurred.
"Then explain why your eyes keep dancing between me and this gun," Derrick said, eyes cold.
Robert swallowed hard, blinking through the haze.
"You must've forgotten a whole lot," Derrick continued. "You've got amnesia or something, old friend. That's the only reason you'd even think about crossing me. I'm not little Derrick from the block, boy. I'm the top dog now. Everyone on our old block… answers to me, Robert."
He leaned in.
"I didn't see you with the guys. You weren't hustling. You weren't bleeding for the cause. You went off to your big fancy school while I got my degree in the streets."
Robert's eyes darted to the gun again.
"It's been a long time since you've seen one of these used properly, huh?"
Derrick tapped the gun again.
"So unless you want to see how this thing works firsthand, don't play with me. Don't let the suits and clean cars fool you for a second—I will put a bullet through your head and go back to my wife like nothing happened."
Robert looked up, blood dripping down the center of his forehead. Panic surged—but so did something else. A memory, buried deep.
His father's voice echoed in his mind…
"Sit down a second," Kelvin said, patting the step beside him.
"Dad, I've got stuff to do."
"You don't have two seconds for your old man?"
Robert groaned but sat beside him anyway.
"Look, son. I love you. That's why I'm going to be blunt. Your mother and I—what we sacrificed, what we fought for—it was to give you a real shot. A life outside of this."
Robert stared ahead, silent.
"That Derrick boy?" Kelvin said. "He's poison. Raised in chaos, sure—but he chooses that path. Don't let him drag you down that dark road with him."
"Dad, he's just—"
"No. Listen to me. He'll smile with you one day and kill you the next. He's a product of this place, and if you follow him long enough, you'll be one too. You think I'm just some tired old man, but I've been on this Earth long enough to see a million Derricks. Around here, if you grow old, you've seen a lot… and done something right."
He looked Robert in the eye.
"Remember my words. One day, they'll ring true."
"…Okay, whatever you say, Dad."
Kelvin narrowed his eyes and reached for his slipper.
"Say that again and see if I don't crack this thing over your head."
Robert laughed. "Alright, alright! I'm going!"
Back in the SUV, Robert inhaled sharply.
"No," he said, steadier now. "No… I'm out. That's that. Do whatever you want, Derrick. But at least I'll die with a clean conscience."
Derrick sneered and began tapping the side of the gun against his forehead.
"This is your last chance, Robert."
"I already gave you my answer."
Derrick stared into his eyes for a long moment before reaching across and opening the car door.
"You're free to go."
"Just like that? That's way too easy. What's the catch?" Robert asked, narrowing his gaze.
"Walk. Before I change my mind."
Robert climbed out slowly, the door shutting behind him. For a moment, all was calm.
Then the SUVs pulled off—only to circle back.
Robert's heart began to betray him. If it could've abandoned him in that moment, it would have.
The SUV pulled up beside him. One of the windows rolled down.
Derrick leaned out, voice low and laced with fury.
"Don't think because I'm not killing you tonight that this is over. There are things far worse than death Robert. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll have wished I ended it tonight."
The window rolled up. The SUVs vanished into the distance.
Inside, Derrick sat fuming.
"Where to now?" one of his men asked.
Derrick didn't hesitate.
"To Robert's lab. We're going to take his prized possession… and burn everything else to the ground."